One was manufacturing, but he wasn’t exactly sure what they made. It looked like some small parts. Another one was a machine shop. A bunch of motorcycles were in the back corner, so maybe it was a repair shop. But then again it could just as easily have been a chop shop. He continued to study all the buildings and then sent back a message. Nothing here at this time.
Hudson sent back a reply. Keep watching your back. He disappeared there somewhere.
That was a truth hard to ignore. As he walked a few more blocks, he got the feeling he was being followed. Stepping around a corner and into a hiding spot, he waited, and, sure enough, the same guy that he’d seen in the apartment building walked past. Immediately the guy looked around to see where Baylor had gone. Baylor came up behind him. “Looking for me?”
The guy froze, but, instead of turning around, he said, “No, hell no.”
“I saw you break into the guy’s apartment,” Baylor said.
At that, the man stiffened, then pivoted just enough that Baylor could see his profile. “What’s your deal, man?”
“I think we have something to talk about,” Baylor said.
“I don’t intend to talk to you at all,” he snapped. “The guy owes me money. That’s all.”
“Well, in that case, you got what you wanted from his apartment, and you can leave me alone, right?”
“I wasn’t after you,” he said, with a snort.
“Yeah, so who are you after?”
He shrugged. “I’m looking for him too.”
“Why?”
“He owes me money, I told you,” he said.
“Interesting. What for?”
“None of your business,” he snapped.
“Depends on what the money was for.”
“He promised, and he didn’t deliver.”
“I figured you for the middleman, hiring the local talent for others’ needs, where you get paid for supplying the men, then paying them wages out of your cut. So why would one of your workers be paying you?”
The guy just stared him down.
No answer is an answer. Interesting. “Seems you work the locals on your own side gigs, right? So you trusted one of these lowlifes to sell stolen goods, is that it?” With that, his mind raced ahead, as Baylor wondered just what was going on here. “So he was supposed to do something for you, and he didn’t?”
“That’s what I said,” he said in a careless voice.
“Or was he supposed to collect something, and he didn’t?”
“Either way it doesn’t matter, does it? He didn’t produce, and now he owes me.”
“Unless he was supposed to collect a woman.”
At that, the guy turned slowly and looked at him. “I don’t know what you’re accusing me of,” he said, “but I don’t like it.”
“Hell, I don’t blame you if you don’t like it,” Baylor said, “but I really don’t give a shit. I’m trying to figure out where this guy is and where his boss is. And, by the way, when you do see him, he did get paid.”
At that, the guy’s eyes opened up. “Seriously?”
“Yeah, I saw him get handed an envelope.”
“Goddamn that bastard,” he said, “he told me that he didn’t.”
“About four hours ago,” Baylor said, “so it depends on if you catch him before he spends it.”
“Sounds like you do know him.” At that, he snorted. “He’s a guy with wishes,” he said quietly. “They always let money run through their hands.”
The other guy’s eyes were distant and ever so watchful. Baylor saw the danger emanating from him. “And we didn’t take it from him either, by the way.”
“Good thing,” he said, “because I’d have to take you down to get it back.”
“Well, you could try,” Baylor said cheerfully. “I’m not looking for any new enemies in particular, but, if you want to bring the war my way,” he said, “I won’t back away from it either.”
“What’s your stake in this?” the man asked.
“He attacked and drugged a woman,” he said quietly. “And, in my book, that’ll never go down well.”
“But it’s just a woman,” he said.
“Yeah, just a woman, … and he had plans for her.”
At that, the guy nodded. “That sounds like him. He’s always got his dick in his head, instead of keeping his eye on the game.”
Bingo. “So, if you’re involved with him in picking up that woman,” he said, “you just jumped into my field of vision.”
“I don’t deal with women,” he said. “But he was supposed to get me some weapons off that ship.”
“Ah, well, that I don’t know about,” he said. “I doubt it though. Last I saw he didn’t have anything in his hands at all. But he did get a packet of money, so maybe he already sold them.”
At that, the other guy started to swear heavily. “If he did, he’s a dead man.”
“I highly suspect he’s a dead man anyway,” he said. “He failed at another job.”
At that, he laughed. “Yeah, that’s him. He’s about fifty/fifty on his jobs these days.”
“Well, he may have crossed the wrong person this time,” Baylor said. “It’s too early to tell.”
“Maybe not,” the guy said. “Have you seen him around recently?”
At that, Baylor stopped and shook his head. “That’s why I’m looking. He’s dropped off the face of the earth.”
Chapter 6
Gizella woke up suddenly, as if something were incredibly wrong. Her heart slamming against her chest, she bolted to her feet and cried out, as the room swam around her.
Almost instantly the door opened beside her, and Baylor rushed in. “Are you okay?” he asked, obviously worried.
She sagged back down on the bed and placed her face in her hands and just nodded. “I don’t know what happened,” she said. “I woke up, just as if—” She stopped and shook her head. “I don’t know. Maybe it was a nightmare. Then I tried to stand and run, and it was just like the room spun around on me.”
“Okay, well, just take it easy,” he said. “It’s probably fine, but you’re still feeling the effects of the drugs.”
She
